A-Jax (band)
| Company type | Boy band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | DSP Boyz |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | DSP Media |
| Defunct | March 31, 2019 |
| Fate | Disbanded |
| Headquarters | Seoul , South Korea |
Area served | South Korea, Japan |
Key people | Hyeongkon, Yunyoung, Seungjin, Seungyeop, Junghee |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Owner | DSP Media |
Number of employees | 5 (final lineup) (2019) |
| Parent | DSP Media |
A-Jax (stylized in all caps) was a South Korean boy band created by DSP Media in 2012. Originally introduced as DSP Boyz, the ensemble later adopted the name A-Jax. The final roster consisted of five members: Hyeongkon, Yunyoung, Seungjin, Seungyeop, and Junghee. Their debut single "One 4 U" was released in South Korea on June 1 and subsequently in Japan on August 8, 2012.
Pre-debut
The announcement of the group's debut came on April 1, 2012, accompanied by a teaser for their MBC Music program Making the Star. Initially referred to as 'DSP Boyz', promotional teasers were uploaded to DSP Media's YouTube channel throughout April. On April 13, they secured a two-year endorsement contract with the sports casual brand Spris. Members were unveiled individually from April 17 to April 23 via DSP Media's YouTube platform.
On April 24, DSP Media revealed the official group name "A-Jax," inspired by the Greek warrior Ajax the Great. Early May featured teasers starring KARA's Goo Hara that hinted at the group's imminent debut. On May 15, DSP Media released "Never Let Go," a prologue track whose music video showcased only Hara.
On May 21, A-Jax was confirmed as the opening act for KARA's final two concerts of their first tour, Karasia, held in Saitama, Japan. The members expressed gratitude for the chance to perform before a large crowd, viewing it as an invaluable learning experience.
2012: Debut with One 4 U and 2MYX
On May 1, DSP Media announced that A-Jax would make their debut concurrently in South Korea and Japan within 2012, positioning them as the first Korean idol group to do so since SS501. They signed with Universal Sigma in Japan—the label home to fellow artists Kara and Rainbow—demonstrating substantial industry support.
A teaser for their debut track "One 4 U" was released on May 28 by DSP Media, highlighting a music video production budget of $42,500 USD that incorporated extensive computer-generated imagery. The full single and video premiered on June 1. The group made their debut stage appearance on MBC's Show! Music Core on June 2 performing both "Never Let Go" and "One 4 U." On June 4, A-Jax was confirmed to appear at Japan’s a-nation festival on August 9 alongside major acts such as AAA and U-KISS.
Universal Sigma announced on June 19 that "One 4 U" would be re-recorded in Japanese for release on August 8, supported by handshake events across Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka to enhance fan interaction.
On July 7, DSP Media launched the "Wing Car Project," designed to promote fan engagement beyond Seoul while announcing an upcoming digital single. The following day revealed the single’s title as "Hot Game," which debuted on July 11 as a follow-up to "One 4 U." On July 17, A-Jax's official fan club was named "A-Light." Universal Sigma also confirmed a Japanese version of "Hot Game" as their second Japanese single, released October 31.
Their first mini-album 2MYX was released on November 15, featuring three new songs alongside previously released Korean singles "One 4 U," "Never Let Go," and "Hot Game."
2013–2019: Insane, Snake, Lineup changes, and disbandment
On June 26, 2013, A-Jax announced their comeback with the second mini-album Insane, led by the title track "Insane," which was released on July 11 through LOEN Entertainment.
On October 21, 2013, their agency unveiled the new single “Snake,” described as an upbeat funky rock song metaphorically depicting youthful love through the image of a snake.
In December 2014, A-Jax contributed two tracks to DSP Media's special Christmas album White Letter: “Like Lovers” (), featuring labelmate Oh Jong Hyuk, and the album’s title track “White.”
DSP Media announced Jaehyung’s enlistment as a public service officer on January 8, 2015. Sungmin left the group on January 7, 2016. Shortly after, on February 5, Jaehyung and Jihu also departed; Jihu and Sungmin remained under DSP Media while Jaehyung's contract was terminated. Junghee joined thereafter, with A-Jax continuing as a five-member group. On December 11, 2016, they held the A-JAX SHOWCASE [A-JAX RISING] event in Tokyo.
On September 19, 2017, A-Jax released their third Japanese single titled "Romeo." Members Seungjin and Junghee took part in KBS's idol rebooting competition show The Unit.
Following contract expirations with DSP Media on March 31, 2019, A-Jax officially disbanded.
Previous Members
- Hyeongkon ()
- Yunyoung ()
- Seungjin ()
- Seungyeop ()
- Junghee ()
- Sungmin ()
- Jaehyung ()
- Jihu ()
Member Timeline
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EPs
| Title | Album information | Highest chart rankings | Sales figures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | JPN | |||
| Korean releases | ||||
| 2MYX | 6 | — |
| |
| Insane |
|
8 | — |
|
| Snake |
|
13 | — |
|
| "—" indicates releases that did not enter the charts or were not issued in the specified region. | ||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart rankings | Sales volume | Associated album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | JPN | ||||||||||||
| Korean singles | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | "One 4 U" / "Never Let Go" (B-side) |
167 164 |
— | 2MYX | |||||||||
| "Hot Game" | 59 | — | |||||||||||
| "2MYX" | 188 | — | |||||||||||
| 2013 | "Insane" | 123 | — | Insane | |||||||||
| "Snake" | 172 | — | Snake | ||||||||||
| 2014 | "Like Lovers" feat Oh Jong-Hyuk |
— | — | White Letter | |||||||||
| Japanese singles | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | "One 4 U" | — | 29 |
|
rowspan="3" Template:Non-album single | ||||||||
| "Hot Game" | — | 31 |
| ||||||||||
| 2017 | "Romeo" | — | 51 |
| |||||||||
| 2018 | "You" | ||||||||||||
| "—" signifies releases which did not appear on charts or were unavailable in that market. | |||||||||||||
Collaborations
| Year | Title | Participants | Album/Single | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | White | Entire group | White Letter | |
| 2016 | Fingertips love | Creating a Healthy Cyber World Campaign track |
Collaborated with B1A4, BTOB, APRIL, Heo Young-ji, Oh My Girl & Kassy |
Filmography
- MBC Making the Star: DSP Boyz (2012)
- SNS Drama "Vampire's Flower" (2014)
- Hyeongkon appeared as a guest in the Taiwanese-Korean joint production The Cage, directed by Lior Shamriz.
External links
- South Korean boy bands
- Musical groups established in 2012
- South Korean musical quintets
- South Korean pop music groups
- K-pop music groups
- South Korean dance music groups
- Universal Music Japan artists
- 2012 establishments in South Korea
- DSP Media artists
- Musical groups disestablished in 2019
- 2019 disestablishments in South Korea